September 23, 2008
Is Freetown is as I expected it to be
One of the subjects people at TJSL have asked me about is whether Freetown is as I expected it to be. There were some aspects of my initial Freetown experience I somewhat foresaw, such as the poor roads, unhealthy tap water and other similar problems due to a general lack of basic infrastructure. Apart from these issues, however, I was wholly unprepared for coming to Freetown.
I had a very vague perception of what life in Freetown would look and feel like. I cannot really describe it, other than to say there was some blurry notion of what I would be doing. Where this thought originated from is beyond me considering I had been to Jupiter just as many times as I had visited Sierra Leone.
Maybe I developed this mental picture from "Blood Diamond" or some other movie based in Africa. I mean, Hollywood movies are a great frame of reference to use when travelling. Forget Lonely Planet books, I take my European travel advice from "Eurotrip" and the "Bourne Supremacy."
When I arrived, many of the expatriates told me that I was brave for coming to Freetown as my first experience in the developing world. That was my first hint that I may have been in a little over my head. Now, I only wish I could accept those compliments. It is not bravery if you don't know what you are getting into. If I thought I was going to McDonald's and ended up in somebody's backyard fighting Kimbo Slice, that is not something I would personally consider an act of bravery.
While I knew Sierra Leone was a post-conflict country, and one of the most undeveloped countries in the world, I was under the impression there would be developed-world aspects of Freetown. My perception of life in Freetown was so mistaken that I believed I would be able to find a functional equivalent of a Starbucks to satisfy my coffee cravings. I am not joking. That I actually thought about going to a local coffee shop is either charming due to its naivety, or stupid. In hopes of propping up my self-esteem, we'll all just pretend it's endearing.
Despite my misconceptions, I absolutely love Freetown and am very happy I came here. I have experienced so many things I never thought would happen in these past seven weeks. From discovering my love of Jollof Chicken (ingredients: MSG, onions, MSG, rice, MSG, chicken, and of course, to top it off, some more MSG) to utilizing all the benefits of working for the UN (functional immunity is awesome), life here has been quite entertaining.
Looking back, I am happy I did not know much about where I was going. It has made discovering Freetown that much more surprising and enjoyable. It's like everyday is a surprise birthday party, just some days I get presents I don't really like. Besides, I can't guarantee I would have agreed to come here if I had known what I was signing up for. That is not to say I don't like Freetown, but more to illustrate how different it is here, and how nervous I should have been about coming here.